A couple of weeks ago I kicked off a blog on Cognos's Analytic Applications - Adaptive Application Framework Version 8.4 product. Here is part 2, that discusses Creating a new dimension from a non-ERP data source.

Let's review what we discussed last time and then get into the next demo:

IBM Cognos Analytic Applications deliver ready-made or packaged analytics using acommon business model that assesses performance of specific functional domains,which include finance, customer, supply chain and workforce. The applications helpour customers gain insight into their performance faster and far more cost-effectivelythan if they were to build it themselves. In addition, with a common business model foranalysis, customers can extend the point of analysis through shared KPI’s that eitherdeepen or extend their assessment of performance, either departmentally orcross-departmentally.

The Congos Adaptive Application Framework (AAF), meanwhile, is the application’smanagement model backbone, and allows organizations to adapt, or modifyreporting and analysis through a configurable process completed via a single touchpoint. The approach uses a drag and drop GUI to automate and streamline themanagement and implementation of changes, as well as seamlessly synchronizethe generation of core components of the application’s pre-built sourcings,warehouse, semantic and reporting layer.

A couple of weeks ago I kicked off a blog on Cognos's Analytic Applications - Adaptive Application Framework Version 8.4 product. Here is part 3, that discusses creating a custom hierarchy

Let's review what we discussed last time and then get into the next demo:

IBM Cognos Analytic Applications deliver ready-made or packaged analytics using acommon business model that assesses performance of specific functional domains,which include finance, customer, supply chain and workforce. The applications helpour customers gain insight into their performance faster and far more cost-effectivelythan if they were to build it themselves. In addition, with a common business model foranalysis, customers can extend the point of analysis through shared KPI’s that eitherdeepen or extend their assessment of performance, either departmentally orcross-departmentally.

The Congos Adaptive Application Framework (AAF), meanwhile, is the application’smanagement model backbone, and allows organizations to adapt, or modifyreporting and analysis through a configurable process completed via a single touchpoint. The approach uses a drag and drop GUI to automate and streamline themanagement and implementation of changes, as well as seamlessly synchronizethe generation of core components of the application’s pre-built sourcings,warehouse, semantic and reporting layer.

The Adaptive Application Framework (AAF) lets you design a Warehouse model, define the ETL, and create a Framework Manager model for reporting purposes. Watch the steps to learn how to create a new hierarchy to an existing dimension as well as set the member caption role to display the proper fields at report time.

Rational Developer for POWER Systems Software is a modern, Eclipse-based, multilingual, integrated development environment targeting POWER Linux, AIX, and IBM i systems. Check out this video. It provides a step by step demonstration of how to create a connection to a Rational Developer for POWER server. It is valid for C/C++ or COBOL projects and can be used for connecting to an AIX or POWER Linux server.

To continue my Rational Developer for POWER series, the Rational Developer for POWER Systems Software is a modern,Eclipse-based, multilingual, integrated development environment targeting POWER Linux, AIX, and IBM i systems. This video provides a step by step demonstration on how to create a new C/C++ project based on existing source files residingremotely on an AIX or POWER Linux server machine.

To continue the conversation and demos for Rational Developer for POWER Systems Software, check out this demo that provides a step by step demonstration of how to create a connection to a Rational Developer for POWER server. It is valid for C/C++ or COBOL projects and can be used for connecting to an AIX or POWER Linux server.

Remember that it is an Eclipse-based, multilingual,integrated development environment. It targets POWER Linux, AIX, and IBM i systems.

IBM® Rational® Build Forge® is IBM's flagship product for build and release management. It not only provides an amazing potential to automate the build process but also to automate the testing procedures for any team.

For most developers, the use of Build Forge has been confined to using the management console, or the graphical user interface (GUI). Many teams are unaware that Build Forge can also be connected through a client and that it can integrate with IBM® Rational® Jazz™ technology-based software, too. When teams need to create or integrate their custom build and test solutions with Build Forge, application programming interfaces (APIs), known as Build Forge clients and provided by Build Forge, play an important role. The client gives you a simple and robust way to add, update, modify, and interact with the Build Forge objects in the same manner that the management console does.

Check out this this demo to learn how to create a basic "Hello World" project in IBM® Rational® Build Forge®. This demo steps you through the following tasks: Creating a server authentication, creating a selector and server, creating a project, running a project, and scheduling a project.

Everyday over 50,000 airplanes are guided safely through the air. The new air traffic control teams are becoming digitally savvy using more high tech software and tools to do their job more efficiently for the safety of all of us.

The air traffic control team works much like a software development team, where there are many defined roles, all very important to complete the mission.

For example, different types of air flight controllers take control of the flight throughout the planes journey to it's destination, from departure gate to arrival gate. (Think of the plane as an application) It is a very complex process just like the software development process.

Clearing each flight from the gate to the runway involves several steps and teams of people working together. The pilot calls for clearance and will receive clearance from the ground controller, who will take the pilot to the appropriate runway and will put the plane in line for take off. The ground controller will also manage any factors affecting the flight such as weather.

The local controller will take the aircraft and issue the "take off clearance", to get the pilot airborne. Once the aircraft is airborne, the tower control contacts departure control and the flight is handed off to Tracon, who's job it is to get the plane through all the other aircraft in the area, track the plane to it's flight cruising altitude, and onto it's destination. Then a regional air route center then takes control.

Oh by the way, there are project manager types managing all this. Sound familiar?

IBM Software tools serve as an air traffic control system for IT. Development teams like air traffic controllers need to use the most up to date efficient tools and team tools to provide security and safety. We all need to create a smarter planet in everything we do. As software developers there are some awesome development tools available to help us create this smarter planet through software. We need to work efficiently and smarter in our global software development teams, as we hand code over from one team to the other. The key thing is communication, just like the flight controllers. Using development tools that help us communicate to our team members better, will help us develop better quality software in less time.

Check out these demos on how teams can use development tools to improve the communication through the development process:

Change management with IBM Rational ClearQuest and ClearCase, Part 1

This demo shows you how to integrate IBM® Rational® ClearQuest® and ClearCase® into a integrated change management solution. The deployed Web banking application is tested for defects. Once the test manager discovers the defect, the manager walks through the submission process. The defect is reviewed and assigned to a developer (Alex in the demo) by the project manager. Once the defect is assigned to the developer, he works to resolve the defect utilizing IBM Rational Application Developer, ClearQuest, and ClearCase. This is the first of a two part demo series. Demo

Change management with IBM Rational ClearQuest and ClearCase, Part 2

This demo continues where part 1 left off. It follows the developer (Alex) as he works on resolving the defect submitted to him. Alex uses IBM Rational Application Developer with plug-ins for ClearQuest and ClearCase. First, you'll see Alex's to-do list that contains submitted high severity defects assigned to him. Next, Alex connects to the ClearCase server and changes the code to correct the defect. Then Alex verifies his changes by running the application within his IDE. Finally, Alex checks in his changes and transition the state of the defect from open to resolved using ClearQuest. This is the second of a two part demo series. Demo

I remember the days of software development when we had huge war room meetings to get status from each team lead. The project manager would manage these 2 or 3 hour meetings and hope to goodness that everyone would remember what requirements need to be updated, who is to fix which bug and well, the list goes on. The closer we got to the end of the development cycle, the longer and more frequent these meetings would be. What if all the managers, team leads and developers had a dashboard to evaluate progress and update status? What a concept!

There are many development tools that help teams communicate perfectly throughout the software development cycle. These tools will help enable teams to follow good software development habits and team communication will improve. Just understanding these tools and following the guidelines will get the team communicating like never before. I'll continue to mention different development tools that help you develop quality code quicker, throughout my blogs, but today I will focus on Rational Requirements Composer and Rational Team concert.

Rational Team Concert collaborative development environment connects teams so they can work together to simplify, automate and govern software delivery in real time. Project mangers and others can gain greater visibility into individual and team work. They can reduce overhead balance resources and provide real-time insight. In addition, you can track project progress with dashboards that include real-time project statuses. Now this is every manager's dream to manage and view the status of a development project, without having huge war room meetings.

Another great product, Rational Requirements Composer helps teams define and use requirements effectively across the project lifecycle. The whole team creates and uses requirements. Better, faster requirements lead to less project rework, faster time to market, and better business outcomes. The earlier you know and manage your requirements, the more money you will save in rework. Get your customers and stakeholders involved early and manage your requirements so that everyone understands and communicates updates and priorities.

Now couple Rational Team Concert with Rational Requirements Composer and you have a match made in heaven. The beauty is that IBM® Rational® Requirements Composer and Rational Team Concert are integrated. Check out the demo below and learn how the integration between IBM® Rational® Requirements Composer and Rational Team Concert highlights the capabilities that ensure project deliverables stay aligned to current business goals and requirements. Specifically, see examples of how to create a link from a requirement in a vision document artifact in Rational Requirements Composer to the work item stored in Rational Team Concert. Then see how to use filters to query across all the products on the Jazz platform. These capabilities help reduce project risk, reduce rework, and increase productivity.

Check out the demo! Align business with Rational Requirements Composer and Rational Team Concert

Modeling lets you manage complexity and risk. Not all projects require models in order to be successful. The more complex a project is, the more you need models. Software is no different than every other kind of engineering in this respect. You probably don’t need to create a model before putting together a doghouse. It’s not very complex, and if the doghouse fails, i.e. falls apart, the consequences are not too dire – the dog stays in the big house. But, as we move up in complexity and look at building a family dwelling or even a high-rise office building, the need to model is more important, as these buildings are much more complex than a doghouse, and the consequences of these buildings failing are more serious.

There are many reasons to model…here are some of them.

- manage complexity

- detect errors and omissions early in the lifecycle- communicate with stakeholders- understand requirements- drive implementation- understand the impact of change- ensure that resources are deployed efficiently

Communication is the biggest benefit of modeling.

The best models represent different viewpoints of the same system. This isn’t just nice to have, it’s a necessity. Different stakeholders in a system will be interested in different viewpoints. Creating good models that ensure all stakeholders understand what they need to understand about the system is critical to success.

You need to use modeling to control the application architecture and to use a tool that uses the common language of modeling, UML. The solution should provide a way for geographically distributed teams to access the models. You want a tool that provides transformation capabilities, to aid with model-driven development. And the solution should help you create and enforce the rules of your architecture, by providing guidance on the development process you are using. This allows you to visually compare changes to models, and linking requirements to the design you are creating.

The IBM Rational product that provides this solution is IBM Rational Software Modeler. IBM Rational Software Modeler (Software Modeler) supports UML notation. It has a simplified user interface which makes it quite easy to use. Software Modeler is built on Eclipse, so it is extensible and it integrates with other Eclipse development environments. And of course it integrates with other IBM Rational products.

This demo shows how to transform an IBM® Rational® Requirements Composer project into a model in IBM Rational Software Architect or IBM Rational Software Modeler. See how use cases and process flow requirements captured in IBM Rational Requirements Composer can be used as a basis for your solution analysis and design activities within Rational Software Architect or Rational Software Modeler.

Well, you might be saying - "All this talk about creating a smarter planet through software is great, but let's see some real world examples".

I'm glad you asked. We recently published two demos that demonstrate software in the financial industry.

The first example demonstrates IBM WebSphere ILOG Business Rule Management System (BRMS) JRules. With BRMS JRules, developers can easily build and deploy rule-based applications that automate fine-grained, variable decisions used by business systems, while reducing the time, effort and cost of application development and ongoing maintenance. The short of it is that you can build, manage and run rule-based applications for Java, mainframe and SOA. This is important in industries like the financial industry.

The second example uses Cognos Now!. This product delivers operational dashboards for real-time monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics from disparate data sources. The great thing is that these dashboards can be created by non-technical people, even a "manager".

It is all about saving money and being productive faster and hence, creating a smarter planet through software!

The first demo describes IBM WebSphere ILOG Business Rule Management System (BRMS) capabilities and how they can be applied in the financial market front office. Using a fictitious company named Open Financials, the demo shows you how to use JRules to handle the routing of orders and routing of order exception processing.

IBM WebSphere ILOG Business Rule Management System applied in the financial industry DEMO

In the second demo see how Cognos® Now! can be used by financial markets firms in an algorithmic trading scenario. This scenario is part of a project called Botticelli, which is focused on positioning a suite of IBM middleware within the financial markets front office. The benefits to using Cognos Now! include the ability to rapidly deploy applications in a cost effective manner, with the easy to use, self-service user interface, and the flexible architecture.

Managing your business information and providing reports for people to review and monitor is all part of creating a Smarter Planet. Don't get caught in the data frenzy. IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) is a great tool to manage business information and reporting. It combines the features of all previous Cognos products and applications and provides a complete and scalable BI solution. Cognos has a completely different architecture than the previous versions, every component is integrated and in one place and the main and most significant idea is to use one common metadata for all components.

Framework Manager is a Cognos modeling tool for creating and managing business-related metadata for use in Cognos analysis and reporting. It is a client application to manage metadata which is stored centrally in the Content Store. Framework manager sets up a pointer on where the data is stored and what is the relation between data sources. The main users of Framework manager are data warehouse developers and data modelers. When creating new reports, report authors base on the metadata information (packages), published with Framework Manager.

Managing your busienss information and reporting for people to review and monitor is all part of creating a Smarter Planet. Check out these 3 demos to see IBM Cognos Framework Manager in action.

The Cognos® metadata model lets you simplify end user experience and to provide for cross-InfoProvider reporting - with or without the availability of a MultiProvider. With cross-InfoProvider reporting, you can use a single environment to work with both SAP Business Warehouse (BW) and non-SAP data. This demo series shows you how to get the model ready for the content authors to use.

In this first demo, watch and learn how to import the relevant SAP Business Warehouse metadata related to your reporting requirements.

After importing metadata from a SAP BW, you can publish this as a package and give immediate access to report authors and consumers, or you can add more value to what the authors and consumers see. In this demo, Framework Manager is used to explore an imported model.

In this demo, the content of the model is exposed for end users. To expose this model, one or more packages is created. Different packages can be created to specifically meet the needs of different user communities - all based off the one model for easy central administration and maintenance.

IBM Cognos 8 Framework Manager, Part 3: Publish the data in reports for end usersDemo!

Cloud computing can make a positive difference to your company's impact on the environment and provide unbounded scale and differentiated quality of service. Each physical server on your network consumes power, creates additional heat and requires constant cooling from air-conditioning systems. These costs can be reduced with Cloud computing. In addition, Cloud computing is a means of providing service delivery for consumer and business needs in a simplified way. Businesses are looking to cloud computing to provide the agility needed to respond quickly in today's highly competitive environment and an environment that scales easily to effectively meet customer needs.

So in a nutshell, the benefits of cloud computing are predictable any time, anywhere access to IT resources. flexible scaling of resources and a positive impact on the environment. Cloud computing can be smart computing.

Learn how to use the Amazon Web Services toolkit for Eclipse. This demo shows you how to create a simple Java™ Web application, hello world, and deploy it to the cloud. To complete the steps in this demo, you will need to have Eclipse installed and setup. You will also need to have an Amazon account.

Recently CNN had an interesting article on how identify theft is on the rise. CNN notes "hackers are working their way into the computer systems of major retailers across the country, experts say. As the bad guys get savvier, identity theft has become more common. Last year, the number of incidents of identity fraud in the United States increased 22%., according to the most recent survey by Javelin Strategy & Research."

As consumers, we can lower our risk by monitoring our credit reports, but we can only do so much. As application and web developers we need to take responsibility and develop secure web applications. Don't you think? Let's create a smarter more secure planet through software.

Has your identity been stolen? If it has, how did that make you feel? IBM Rational AppScan is doing a lot to help developers make web sites more secure.

Check out this demo "Introduction to Rational AppScan" This demo shows you how to scan a Web application for security vulnerabilities using Rational® AppScan® Standard Edition. This is one of our most popular demos. DEMO

"Fly by the seat of your pants" is an early aviation term when aircraft had few navigation aids and flying was accomplished by means of the pilot's judgment. The term emerged in the 1930s and was first widely used in reports of Douglas Corrigan's flight from the USA to Ireland in 1938.

That flight was reported in many US newspapers of the day 'Corrigan Flies By The Seat Of His Pants',

We all know that we can't fly by the seat of our pants in software development. There are so many tools today that help us make smarter software faster.

From use case development all the way to modeling, solution analysis, design activities and project management. And thank goodness that aircraft

This demo shows how to transform an IBM® Rational® Requirements Composer project into a model in IBM Rational Software Architect or IBM Rational Software Modeler.See how use cases and process flow requirements captured in IBM Rational Requirements Composer can be used as a basis for your solution analysis and design activities within Rational Software Architect or Rational Software Modeler.